OUR UR attention has been called to an article under this heading, published in various papers and written by "Ex-Attaché" in the Chicago Tribune. The statements in regard to the evils of intoxicating liquors in tropical countries, and their injurious effect upon both the natives and white people are true and just, and with most of the article we are entirely agreed. There is one reference, however, to which we wish to call attention for the purpose of correcting it. The statement is made in these words: "The white missionaries are largely dependent upon these traders, not merely for society but for those comforts and conveniences that are destined to alleviate the difficulties of existence in the dark continent, but are even compelled to rely upon them for the necessaries, and missionaries who attempted to preach total abstinence to the natives would be subjected to such treatment by the traders that life would become intolerable. They are therefore handicapped. Still, the fact remains that whereas Christian civilization and missionary effort tolerate the use and abuse of alcoholic liquors on the part of the dusky races, not merely temperance but total abstinence is preached by the Mohammedan missionaries." There are three misconceptions likely to arise from these statements: first, that the missionaries are dependent upon the traders in Africa for support, which is not true in any case of which we have ever heard, after an exhaustive and careful study of missions of all societies and in every part of Africa. The second misconception would be that the missionaries in Africa are unable to preach total abstinence without subjecting themselves to ill treatment by the traders. There may be some truth in this, but not enough to justify the statement as made, and we have never heard of any case of opposition on the part of traders which has prevented any missionary from preaching total abstinence or from insisting on temperance among the converts. The third and more important misconception is that missionary efforts tolerate the use and abuse of alcoholic liquors on the part of the dusky races. The writer is somewhat inconsistent, inasmuch as he has referred in the first part of his article to the proposal of the Chamber of Commerce of Lagos to institute legal proceedings against the Bishop of the Church Missionary Society at Nigeria on account of his opposition to the use of intoxicating liquors in Africa. We do not believe there is a missionary of any body in any part of Africa who views with indifference the abuse of alcoholic drinks on the part of the natives. There are some European missionaries who do not hold strictly to total absti nence, but all missionaries of every body advocate temperance as they understand it, and are firm in upholding everything which they believe to be for the good of the natives, and are not to be intimidated or in any way dissuaded from the exercise of their conscientious scruples in the carrying out of their work by the fear of any ill treatment on the part of traders or government officials. Moreover, American missionaries are practically a unit in their opposition to the use of intoxicating liquors. Total abstinence is the rule both for themselves and their converts, and this is strictly enforced in the missions of the American Baptist Missionary Union, and we believe, in the missions of all American societies. As far as our Baptist missionaries on the Congo are concerned it can be said from positive knowledge that the rule of total abstinence has never been relaxed in any instance, nor has the opposition of missionaries to the use of intoxicating liquors ever been for a moment diminished by the opposition of traders or officials. Such statements as these referred to are liable to do great harm, especially when, as these are, they are coupled with a certain amount of knowledge of the country, gained from a limited experience in the tropics; but while some of the statements have a basis of truth the impressions gained from the article as a whole, as far as concerns missionary work, are entirely misleading. lague and Paganism in Asia cannot be safely ignored in America. Two cases of the bubonic plague have appeared in New York harbor, and the government has adopted the most stringent measures to prevent its landing on our shores. Not so much care has been taken to prevent the entrance of the paganism of India, Already disciples of Mohammedanism and Hinduism are found in our great cities. It is admitted that the best way to combat the plague is to destroy it in its home and breeding place, and without doubt the best method of weakening the force of paganism in America is to overthrow it in India. In the new imperialistic ideas prevailing so strongly in this country it is coming to have a startling emphasis that "to save America we must save the world." Th he Independent takes exception to the editorial in the MISSIONARY MAGAZINE for December on "The British Government and People," and claims that it is not true "that there is such a divergence between the Government and the people as is assumed. In England as in the United States, and even more than here, the Government is the direct expression of the people, and represents their real judgment." Such an expression in a journal like The Independent is a surprise. Such a difference between the English Government and people is a commonplace of English history. In England remarks upon just such a divergence between the British Government and people are common. The British Government was responsible for the attitude of the East India Company toward missions in former years. During the Civil War in this country the British Government was hostile to the North, while the English people generally were friendly. The British Government sustains the opium atrocity in the trade with China, while, if the question was submitted to the English people, unquestionably a majority would be against it. The history of England, from the Magna Charta to the present time, is a story of reluctant concessions by the Government to the demands of the people. Reforms in British legislation proceed by repeated rejection by the House of Lords of progressive measures passed by the House of Commons representing the people, but the people always triumph in the end. LL the perplexing problems having AL been dealt with I was able at last on September 18 (Monday), at daylight to heave up anchor and set sail from Yokohama for Kobe. The "Gleaner" gave us a pull out as far as the lightship and then we spread our wings. It was a bad time of the year, and the barometer began to fall after we left, but we had a good run down the gulf and round the coast into the Ki Channel. We made sometimes five miles, sometimes twelve per hour. We ran neck and neck on the Tuesday morning with the steamer "Otaru Maru" for several hours. == We averaged "to the good" nine miles an hour until within fifty miles of Kobe, with a fair prospect of getting in on Tuesday evening, when it began to blow and the sea rose. Well, the upshot of it was that I spent five days over the other fifty miles, and days of hard work. We had three struggles during that time, beat up into the Gulf of Osaka three times, and had to run out before a gale as many times. The last gale was heavy, and after twelve hours of hard beating and straining to keep my ground I had to give in and run out through the very Tennis Straits again in the night. It thundered, it rained, it fairly howled, and the sea ran high, and by the flashes of vivid lightning I picked my way through the passage. It was a grand sight though, and all through the vessel behaved splendidly. When we got into Hiogo Bay and I got my clothes off and into bed for the first time in a week I could not help feeling grateful for the experience. After a few hours' rest I got up hale and hearty, and congratulating myself on having "had it out" with the young lady at the very outset and once for all. Twice during those five days I had to beat off a lee shore, and once drifted down within ten feet of a rock bed in a dead calm. I could not help smiling as I remembered the injunction of the Executive Committee, "We do not expect you to look after details concerning the vessel, but to entrust those to the care of the Japanese crew." After what I have seen even now, that injunction will have to remain unheeded if I remain here for thirty years, unless this nation or that portion of it which has charge of ships gets converted in mind, soul and body. "And what are you doing in Hiogo now?" you will ask. Well, just thiswaiting for a permit. When the application had been made to Colonel Buck, the United States minister, he could not ascertain to whom it should be made by him. He tried the Foreign Office, and after some delay and a fortnight wasted over a letter sent to wrong address, he found I had to apply to the Minister of Communication. I had to make out a fresh application which after two weeks produced a reply to the effect that the names of all places we wish to visit must be specified. This I have now done, and from the tenor of their note, I should not by any means look for a refusal, which will mean that the United States flag now flying may continue to fly. But to guard against all possibility of failure I went up for my examination and passed, in case we should have to go under the Japanese flag. I ex pect a definite reply from the minister in side of ten days, but in the mean time we are not idle. I came into Hiogo Bay instead of Kobe for several reasons, one among which was the fact that large numbers of Inland Sea sailing vessels frequent this place. We are holding meetings on board for the crews of these vessels, going to them beforehand and giving them a personal invitation. We tell them of the purpose of the vessel, and if they cannot come on board now to look out for us down among the islands. To most of the men the whole subject of Christianity and the motive underlying our action seem to be new, and the motive gives food for thought. By visiting half a dozen junks and schooners during the day, all of which are within hailing distance, I can get enough hearers for the evening to fill the little cabin, say twenty or thirty, and as these vessels come and go continually we get a fresh lot of men. Coming as they do to us as our guests, as it were, we have a great advantage in maintaining proper order. Our Indebtedness to India REV. J. HEINRICHS, PRESIDENT OF THE BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, RAMAPATAM, INDIA NDIA is being better under stood to-day than a generation ago. The sciences of comparative religion and philology have enabled us to do this and have also brought us into closer touch with this wonderful country. The higher castes of the Hindu population belong to the Aryan or Indo-Germanic stock, from which we ourselves have descended. And these Aryans had attained to a high degree of civilization when their brethren of the Anglo-Saxon race were as yet barbarians. The history of ancient Europe is the story of the Aryan settlements around the shores of the Mediter These ranean; and that wide term, modern civilization, merely means the civilization of the western branches of the same race. branches have made some splendid contributions to our present civilization, for which they have received a full amount of recognition and praise. India, with the eastern offshoots of the Aryan stock, has likewise added many elements to the intellectual, ethical and social features of our life. But this has not been recognized as much as it should have been. It shall be my endeavor in this article to point out a few of these contributions which have placed us under a debt of gratitude to India, and which should induce us more cheerfully to discharge our Christian obli |